KECSKEMT

town and seat, Bcs-Kiskun megye (county), central Hungary. Long established as a centre for handicrafts and cattle raising, it has also grown in importance for its viticulture, vegetables, and fruit. It is surrounded by flat sandy farmland, often referred to as the orchard of Hungary. The locality provides as much as 25 percent of the country's fruit, notably apricots, and produces preserves, syrups, and liqueurs in large quantity, notably Kecskemt apricot brandy (barackplinka). The town dates back to the rpd dynasty (10th century) and in the 14th century was one of the privileged towns. It survived the Turkish occupation relatively unscathed as a khas, a possession of the sultan under his protection. Kecskemt's polygonal main square is surrounded by public buildings and by a great Roman Catholic church and a Franciscan monastery. The town's old Reform church was built between 1680 and 1684 by special permission of Sultan Mehmed IV. The synagogue (1862) has in its courtyard the remains of an older synagogue (1818). There are many other churches, museums, and buildings of architectural and historical significance. The Hungarian dramatist Jzsef Katona was born in Kecskemt, as was the composer Zoltn Kodly. Kecskemt's principal industries, in addition to fruit processing, are textiles and the manufacture of agricultural machinery and consumer goods. The town, 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Budapest, is on the rail and road arteries to Szeged. Pop. (1991 est.) 103,568.